''Three Little Twirps'' is a 1943

short subject A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...

directed by Harry Edwards starring American

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

comedy team

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

(

Moe Howard Moses Harry Horwitz (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975), better known by his stage name Moe Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the leader and straight man of the Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion ...

Larry Fine Louis Feinberg (October 4, 1902 – January 24, 1975), better known by his stage name Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian and musician. He is best known as a member of the comedy act the Three Stooges and was often called "The Middle St ...

and

Curly Howard Jerome Lester Horwitz (October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was a member of The Three Stooges comedy team, which also featured his elder brothers Moe and ...

). It is the 71st entry in the series released by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

Employed as poster hangers, The Stooges effortlessly sabotage a circus advertisement they were tasked with affixing to a billboard, leading to their dismissal by their boss, Herman. Upon realizing their sole compensation is tickets to the circus, they seize the opportunity to profit by selling them at a discounted rate. However, their illicit ticket-scalping activities attract the attention of authorities, prompting a pursuit. As they evade capture, Curly inadvertently damages a circus performer, the Bearded Lady, leading to further complications. To evade capture, Curly and Larry resort to disguising themselves as a horse, a comedic trope familiar to Curly's character. Their escapades culminate in a confrontation with Herman, now revealed as the circus owner, and the local sheriff. Facing imprisonment, Herman offers the Stooges an unconventional proposition: serve as human targets for the spear-throwing act performed by the "Sultan of Abudaba." In a daring escape, the Stooges evade the perilous fate by leaping into a crater created by Curly's earlier mishap on the high wire.

Production notes

''Three Little Twirps'' was filmed on August 3–7, 1942. It is the eighth of sixteen Stooge shorts with the word "three" in the title. ''Three Little Twirps'' marked the second and final Stooge film helmed by director Harry Edwards. Edwards, afflicted by alcoholism, garnered a notorious reputation at Columbia Pictures as one of the studio's least efficient directors. His previous project, the arduous '' Matri-Phony'' (1942), endured an extensive production period exceeding three weeks, a significant departure from the typical shooting schedule of 3-4 consecutive days customary for Stooge productions. Faced with mounting frustrations, the Stooges expressed their dissatisfaction and resolved never to collaborate with Edwards again.

Quotes

* Curly: Here's an impersonation of a wolf. histlesHiya, babe! * Moe: I'll take ninety tickets! * Larry: Beat it, Grandpa! We got no time for kibbitzers! * Curly: "I haven't been to the circus since I got out of the fourth grade!" * Moe: "Yeah, that was last year!"

References

External links

* 1943 films 1943 comedy films The Three Stooges films American black-and-white films Columbia Pictures short films Films directed by Harry Edwards (director) American comedy short films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{short-comedy-film-stub